Author: Anderson Hills Pediatrics

To our patients and their families,

We will close our Anderson and Amelia locations at 3:15 PM today to celebrate our team’s accomplishments in our annual fall picnic. Our care team will continue to be available to respond to calls about serious medical concerns. Our team will address general questions about illnesses or medications on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

Also, we encourage every child over the age of six months to receive this year’s flu vaccine at one of our upcoming vaccination clinics. Need to schedule? You can self-schedule online today!

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to caring for you soon!

Anderson Hills Pediatrics recommends that all children six months and older get this year’s flu vaccine.

Ready to schedule? Visit the patient portal or call us at (513) 232-8100. Please note that you may need to choose “Discover other providers from Anderson Hills Pediatrics” to view full availability.

Clinic Information: 

We’ve expanded our flu clinics to offer vaccine opportunities on weekdays and select Saturdays for your convenience.

Flu Clinic Additional Information:

In our continued efforts to ensure your safety, we aim to keep your family in the vehicle throughout the visit.

• Where to go: We will have Flu Clinic signage in our parking lot to notify and guide you through the visit. We will have designated areas for check-in and vaccine administration. Weather permitting, this year’s clinics will be from the comfort of your vehicle. Inclement or colder weather may necessitate bringing your child inside our facilities for their vaccine.
• How to Dress: As you arrive, please ensure all children over the age of one (1) dress so that one arm is quickly freed of clothing for us to give the vaccine. The best option is a sleeveless or loose short-sleeved shirt. For children under the age of 1 or for those that do not have adequate muscle mass in the arm, the flu vaccine will be administered in your child’s thigh. In this case, we ask that shorts or diapers be worn so we may give the vaccine easily.
• Observation: While rare, fainting or feeling lightheaded can occur after vaccination. This is more common among adolescents and young adults. For this reason, children over 11 will be observed for 15 min. If you choose to forgo the observation period, we will ask you to complete a waiver. The waiver will be available during your Phreesia check-in

Flu 101

Why does my child need to get a flu shot?

Flu shots reduce the risk of getting the flu. Some children vaccinated against the flu may still get sick, but their risk of serious complications, such as pneumonia or hospitalization, is greatly reduced.

If your child is younger than five years or has certain chronic conditions, they are at an even higher risk of severe complications from the flu.

My child got a flu shot last year. Do they need one this year?

Flu viruses change, so the vaccine gets updated to keep up with the viruses that may be most common during the upcoming flu season. Even if your child got a flu vaccine last year, their immune protection decreases over time. Getting a flu shot every year is their best protection.

Isn’t the flu the same thing as a cold?

Colds are usually milder than flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems.

The flu, however, can cause serious health problems like pneumonia or hospitalizations. The flu can cause serious health problems like difficulty breathing or dehydration, sometimes requiring a stay in the hospital or even the intensive care unit. In rare cases, the flu can lead to death.

Can’t you get the flu from the flu shot?

No, the flu vaccine can’t give your child the flu. A flu vaccine may cause side effects that feel like the flu but are mild and short-lasting. These are signs that their immune system is working and building protection against the flu.

Anderson Hills Pediatrics has partnered with Cincinnati Children’s in developing a clear and effective protocol to support families affected by thoughts of self-harm and suicide to prevent visits to the ED.

Behavioral Health Therapists Caitlin Geiser, LPCC-S, and Vanessa Sinclair, LPCC-S, have trained the Anderson Hills Pediatrics clinical providers to adequately assess the safety risk of children and teens experiencing suicidal thoughts.

During crisis interventions, parents and patients receive resources and recommendations to keep them safe at home while quickly connecting them to a mental health appointment. Often, the child gets treatment from our therapists within a day to a week.

CINCINNATI Local 12 (WKRC) recently interviewed Dr. Katherine Brady and Caitlin Geiser, LPCC-S.

Check out a link to the full article: https://local12.com/news/local/new-program-help-local-children-struggling-with-mental-health-suicide-self-harm-988-call-text-hospital-child-teens-crisis-pediatric-care-family-doctors-resource-resources-specialist-behavioral-emotional-functioning-cincinnati-ohio

Our country’s mental health concerns continue to rise, and Cincinnati is no exception. Children and teens are increasingly experiencing thoughts of suicide and self-harm, with parents alarmed and unsure how to respond. Parents turn to help from Cincinnati Children’s during a crisis. These families often experience long wait times in the Emergency Department (ED) due to the high demands of care needed for mental health crises. Thankfully, the ED is not necessary to meet the needs of most youth with these thoughts.

Anderson Hills Pediatrics has partnered with Cincinnati Children’s in developing a clear and effective protocol to support families affected by thoughts of self-harm and suicide to prevent visits to the ED.

Behavioral Health Therapists Caitlin Geiser, LPCC-S, and Vanessa Sinclair, LPCC-S, have trained the Anderson Hills Pediatrics clinical providers to adequately assess the safety risk of children and teens experiencing suicidal thoughts. During crisis interventions, parents and patients receive resources and recommendations to keep them safe at home while quickly providing them with a connection to a mental health appointment.

“We understand how scary this experience is for parents; our Anderson Hills Pediatrics team has the proper training to address these concerns and to help parents feel confident in supporting their children and keeping them safe,” Caitlin Geiser, LPCC-S, Behavioral Health Therapist.

For more information on the practice or if you are concerned about your child or teen’s mental health, please contact (513) 232-8100. Additional behavioral health resources are available at www.ahpediatrics.com. If mental health concerns are urgent and arise when our office is not open, please contact the Cincinnati Children’s Psychiatric Intake Response Center at 513-636-4124 for guidance.

We made several recent changes to make online scheduling easier! You can schedule appointments through our website or your patient portal.

Scheduling Tips: 

Reason for Visit: The chosen reason for your visit helps us determine which appointment types are best suited for your child.

Well Visits: Please schedule with your child’s primary pediatrician. Your child’s annual check-up meets all school, camp, or sports physical requirements.

Sick Visits: You may schedule with your primary or the first available physician for illnesses such as sore throat, flu-like or COVID-like symptoms, and eye infections. If your child has several health concerns, please call our triage team at (513) 232-8100 option 2, to be scheduled, as your appointment will likely require more time.

Additional Notes: Once you choose your appointment date or time, please provide the reason for your visit in the additional notes section. Doing so allows our team the ability to prepare for your visit.

Availability Doesn’t Match Your Needs?   Please get in touch with our office to see if there are any opportunities for us to add you to our schedule. If we cannot, we would be happy to look for additional solutions or provide your child with triage care until a visit can be scheduled.

At Anderson Hills Pediatrics, we aim to provide excellent access to appointments. Please complete this survey if you have any feedback to improve the process.

Thank you for trusting us with your child’s care.

Sports Physicals

Anderson Hills Pediatrics is committed to preparing your child for participation in sports and athletic programs. Your child’s annual check-up meets all requirements of the sports physicals that athletic leagues and schools need. As part of your child’s check-up, the pediatrician will identify any issues that may cause injury or be of concern during the season.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and our pediatricians recommend that your child receives their annual check-up from their pediatrician. We do not recommend that your child receive a sports physical from a mass screening at school, urgent care, or a pharmacy clinic where medical and immunization records are unavailable. These physicals do not include an evaluation of your child’s overall health. If an abnormal health condition is identified, your child likely will have to visit their primary pediatrician, which may delay sports participation.

Ready to schedule? Call (513) 232-8100 or schedule your check-up online.

Sports Forms

Anderson Hills Pediatrics has an increased demand for forms to complete during summer. We always want this process to go smoothly for you and your family.

Various sports associations and schools require participation forms. Forms can vary by school district and organization. We encourage you to confirm what forms are needed by your child’s school or athletic league.

If it has been less than 13 months since your child’s last check-up, we can complete the form based on their previous visit without additional appointments. However, the form will expire 13 months following your child’s last check-up.

To ensure the accuracy of the forms we complete, we request that the form’s parent or child portions be completed before submission. Also, please be sure to sign all fields and submit all pages.

Your child’s primary pediatrician will need to complete the form. If your primary care physician is out of the office, we will have to wait until they are back in the office to sign the form. The standard form turnaround is 3 to 4 business days to account for this. If you need a form completed more quickly, we will do so in 1 to 2 business days for $5.00.

Resources

• Cincinnati Children’s Blog  Need a Sports Physical? See Your Pediatrician
• Ohio High School Athletic Association – 2023-2024
• Kentucky High School Athletic Association – Middle School
• Kentucky High School Athletic Association – High School

We look forward to helping you and your child prepare for their upcoming athletic and sporting events.

We are thrilled to announce a new pediatrician will be joining the Anderson Hills Pediatrics Team in August! Dr. Jain is originally from Cincinnati, OH, and is excited to return to her roots and settle in our community again. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, went to medical school at Ross University School of Medicine, and is currently completing her pediatric residency training at the University of Louisville. We could not be happier about the experience she brings to our patients.

At Anderson Hills Pediatrics, vaccines ensure our patients stay healthy from disease and illness. The COVID-19 vaccine is a great way to ensure your family stays healthy this summer.

The CDC and FDA have recommended that all children six months or older receive one bivalent COVID vaccine after completing or during their primary vaccine series. If your child is five years of age or older, and it has been at least two months since completing their primary series, they likely need a single Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Bivalent vaccine. Children 6 months through 4 years of age must receive three total doses of COVID vaccine to complete their primary series, and one of those doses should be bivalent.

We want to ensure you understand when your child needs a COVID vaccine based upon the quantity and type of vaccine(s) they have received. If you have questions about your child’s vaccine needs, call us at (513) 232-8100.

Thank you for trusting us with your child’s care.

We are excited to announce that our Patient Portal will be available as a mobile application on your phone starting March 22, 2023!

athenaPatient™ is a user-friendly mobile application that allows you to communicate with our care team and manage your child’s health anywhere, anytime. A few key features that we are excited about include:

• Quick log-in capability: Facial recognition and/or touch ID can makes the log-in easier while keeping your data safe.
• Patient-Practice messaging: You can contact our practice whenever you have questions through quick, secure portal messages.
• Self-schedule appointments: You can book appointments with your child’s pediatrician and view upcoming visits at your convenience.
• View test results: You can access test results as soon as they become available.
• View vaccination records: You can access a list of all vaccines your child has received at Anderson Hills Pediatrics.
• Attend virtual visits: You can easily initiate and join telehealth visits with your pediatrician via athenaTelehealth from your mobile phone.
• Get directions to appointments: You can access driving directions from the app, showing you how to get to our office for your upcoming appointment.

A few items to note:

Patients must have an existing athenahealth Patient Portal account to use the mobile application. If you do not have a Patient Portal account, you may register via our website or call (513) 232-8100 option 6.
You will continue to use Phreesia to check into your child’s appointments.

Resources

• athenaPatient™ FAQs
• athenaPatient Mobile App